Stew with Quinoa and Orange Lentils (No oil) WFPB and Vegan

One pot meals are a favorite in my house. But they have taken on a whole new form lately. About 3 months back I decided to stop using oil or processed food. The family was not really on board so I made small portions for myself. To make it easy on myself I would cook one pot meals. As the recipes evolved everyone in the house wanted what I was having. We all love fresh vegetables and with the right spices and legumes for flavor these one pot meals are delicious. I add a whole grain to the pot to make it it a complete nutritious meal. There is so much variety in beans, lentils and whole grain, there are endless flavorful combinations. Try it, you will love it.

This is a very nutrient rich dish. Each serving is rich is protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and complex carbs. When you eat this kind of food you have to remember that a large volume accounts for a relatively small amount of calories. Each serving of a large filling bowl of food is about 140 calories.

Note: Cook the legumes and grains first. Then add the vegetables for the last few minutes of cooking time. This way the vegetables will not get mushy, they will retain their shape and color but will be fully cooked.

You will need (5 servings)
1/2 cup rainbow quinoa
1/2 cup orange lentils (masoor dal)
1/4 onion
3 shitake mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup zucchini, diced
1/2 cup green beans, diced
1/2 cup yellow squash, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1 large tomato
1 handful each of spinach, arugula and kale
1 tbsp. cumin coriander powder
3 tbsp. sambar or dal masala (I added rasam masala)
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (source of B12 for vegans, you can skip if you want)
salt to taste

Wash and rinse the quinoa and lentils. Soak in a about a 1/4 cup water and keep aside until needed.

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil in a large pan. Add the diced onion and the soaked quinoa and lentils. Cover and let it cook, about 5-8 minutes. The lentils and quinoa should be cooked completely. Add salt to taste and the spices (the last 5 ingredients on the list).

Now begin adding the vegetables. Place them one by one in the center of pan starting with the mushrooms in the order listed. Push down in the center as you add them. This will create a well for the vegetables in the center pushing the cooked lentils and quinoa to the sides of the pan. Add all the vegetables except the greens, sprinkle with a little salt, cover and let it cook on medium-low heat for a 2 couple of minutes.

Uncover and stir the vegetables in the center of the pan leaving the ring of quinoa and lentils on the side. The fresh vegetables will release juices and cook in them. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Then add the greens. Combine all the ingredients in the pan and let them simmer for a couple of minutes. If it feels too dry add a little water warmed in the microwave.

Turn off the heat and serve hot. Optionally, top it with roasted sesame seeds or seeds of your choice to increase the fat content.

Enjoy!

Ratatouille

With the arrival of spring the vegetable market is transformed with fresh bright colored vegetables. For me, the fresh local vegetables are always a delight. I always find myself buying lots of vegetables and figuring out different ways to use them up. Ratatouille is one such recipe and though it can be time consuming the flavors in the final result are amazing.

There are a lot of variations of this recipe and I tweaked it to suite our taste. I used red bell pepper instead of green. Also eggplant is one of the vegetables used in the preparation of Ratatouille. However, I am not a fan of eggplant so I skipped it.

You will need (6 servings)
5 small zucchini (I used organic so I could keep the peel)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 red bell peppers
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
5 small tomatoes
a handful cilantro (you can use parsley)
1 tbsp. basil
salt to taste

Wash and clean all the vegetables. Cut the zucchini along the long edge. Heat the oil in a pan and place a single layer of zucchini slices in it. When they turn brown flip the slices over. When browned on both sides take them out of the pan. Repeat for the remaining slices.

While the zucchini cook, heat water in a separate pan. Cut slits in the tomatoes and place them in the hot water for a few minutes. Drain and put the tomatoes in cold water. Then peel and chop them and keep aside.

Dice the onion and peppers into cubes. In the pan in which the zucchini were cooked add the onions and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers and continue to cook.

Once the onions are peppers are cooked through add the tomatoes. Season with salt and allow the juices to flow. Dice the cilantro and add them to the mixture along with the basil. Turn off the heat and drain the juice. Reserve the juice. Separately, chop the zucchini.

In a casserole dish, place half the onion and pepper mixture. Layer half the zucchini over it. Then place the remaining onion and pepper mixture. Place the remaining zucchini as the last layer. Pour the reserved juice over the top. Place the casserole on medium/low heat and allow the juice to thicken. Occasionally collect and pour the juice over the top of the vegetables. Once the juice is thickened turn off the heat and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Kuru Fasulye (White Bean Stew)

Bean stews make great side dishes when served with rice, poli or bread. This one is made with white beans. It has the classic flavors of the red pepper paste along with the tomato paste. The combination makes a very flavorful gravy.

This dish would work very well with rice or roti all by itself.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
1 cup dry or 1 can white beans (I used great northern beans)
1/2 cup onions, diced
1 tbsp. butter (salted or unsalted)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. red pepper paste
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. red chili pepper flakes (I used paprika)
salt to taste

If using dry beans soak in water overnight and pressure cook for 10 minutes the next day. I used canned beans. If using canned drain out all the juice and use the beans.

Heat oil and butter in a pan. Add the onion and saute until tender and translucent. Add the red pepper, tomato paste and the beans. Cook until combined.

Add 1/2 a cup of water and bring to a boil.

Let it simmer on medium low for 15 minutes.

Turn off heat.

Githeri (Corn and Bean Stew)

A Kenyan style side dish made with corn and beans perfect for when fresh corn is available in the market. The contrasting colors of the dark red kidney beans, the corn and the carrots are a treat for the visual eater.

As with any stew the dish takes a while to cook but it does not need constant attention. This is perfect for a day when you have the time but do not want to spend it hovering in the kitchen.

You will need
1 cup dark red kidney beans
2 corn on the cob (or 2 cups frozen corn)
1 onion
1 large tomato
1 carrot
1 potato
1 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. garam masala (curry powder)
salt to taste (optional)
cilantro to garnish

Note: If you would like this soup style, increase the amount of water.

Soak the beans overnight. Take the husks off the corn and rinse. Using a sharp knife cut the corn kernels off the cob. Cook the corn and beans in a pressure cooker until just done, about 5 minutes once it is pressurized. 

Alternately, you can cook the beans and corn in boiling water on the stove top. This is the traditional way of cooking the beans and corn. If using frozen corn you can microwave the kernels for 1 minute before use.

Drain the cooking water and reserve. Keep the beans and corn aside. Dice the onion. Saute in a couple tablespoons of water until it is translucent. Add more water a tablespoon at a time if needed. 

In the meantime, dice the tomatoes. Separately peel and chop the potatoes. Peel and slice the carrots. Keep aside. When the onions are done add the tomatoes along with the reserved cooking liquid and cook until the tomatoes are mushy.

Add the potatoes, carrots, paprika and garam masala. Combine and cook on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure there is enough cooking liquid, add either the reserved cooking water or plain water as needed.

Add the cooked beans and corn. Add another cup and a half of the cooking water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste (optional).

Simmer for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fagiolli All'uccelletto

Fagiolli All'uccelletto is an ancient Italian dish from the Tuscany region. As with most old world dishes it is a simple and delicious dish made with beans in tomato gravy.

This dish can be quite filling on its own. I served it with a large Italian meal but I could see myself serving this dish with bread or flat bread for a meal on its own.

Recipe adapted from here.

You will need
2 cans cannelloni beans or 1 1/2 cup dry white beans
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 medium tomatoes
1 spring fresh sage or 1 tbsp. dry sage
salt and black pepper to taste

If using dry beans rinse and soak the beans overnight. Pressure cook the next day for 10 minutes and keep aside. If using canned rinse and drain the beans and keep aside,

Crush the garlic, peel and mince. Separately, dice the tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic. A minute or two later add the tomatoes and sage. Let it cook down for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes sauce thickens. Add the beans and it to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Great Northern Bean Cassoulet

Cassoulets originated in the French countryside and were taken to other countries by immigrants. This French Canadian dish is a meal in itself. It is protein rich and filling flavored with cloves, bay leaves, leeks and thyme. It has a long cooking time but that is totally worth it as it allows all the flavors to blend together.

Thick gravies with few spices and a lot of flavor are very popular in my house. We loved the taste of the leeks and the mushrooms. Tomatoes are a favorite and this tomato gravy totally lived up to its expectation. As an added bonus the kitchen smelled great. I topped it with a dollop of vegan cream.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
4 medium carrots
1 medium leek
2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves

3 springs thyme

2 bay leaves

3-4 cloves

2 cups dry great northern beans

8-10 shitake mushrooms

4 medium tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. black pepper

salt to taste

Wash and soak the beans overnight. The next day pressure cook the beans for 10 minutes. When the cooker depressurizes remove the beans and keep aside. Chop the tomatoes and keep aside. Wipe clean the mushrooms, take off the stem and slice.

Wash, peel and dice the carrots. Slice the leek, wash it clean and dice. In a thick bottomed pan heat the olive oil and add the diced vegetables. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the carrots are tender. Meanwhile peel and mince the garlic. Wash the thyme springs. Crush the cloves to a powder in a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves and crushed cloves to the carrot mixture.

When the spices are well combined add the beans with a little of the juice it was cooked in. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and mushrooms. Season with paprika, black pepper and salt.

Cook for an hour on medium low heat until all the ingredients are well combined, the tomatoes are mushy and the liquid has cooked down.

Enjoy!

Bibimbap with Carrot, Spinach, Zucchini and Shitake Mushrooms

Bibimbap is a very nice looking and a very tasty main dish. A bed of rice is made in a stone bowl on which are arranged all the mix-ins like carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and spinach. The idea is to mix it all together and eat. I made this dish as part of a Korean meal. As luck would have it this was picked as the recipe for the Daring Bakers challenge for the month of July. Since I had it ready I posted it as is even though it was the star dish of my Korean meal.

This dish was very tasty especially when eaten with some soy sauce and spicy sesame sauce.

To prepare the carrots
You will need
1 carrot
1 tsp. sesame oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Peel the wash the carrots. Heat oil in a pan and saute the carrots until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

To prepare the zucchini
You will need
1 zucchini
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. scallion greens, chopped
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and black pepper to taste

Peel and chop the zucchini. Heat oil in a pan and saute the zucchini until cooked through. Season with garlic, scallion, sesame seeds, salt and pepper.

To prepare the mushrooms
You will need
10 shitake mushrooms
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. scallion greens, chopped
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut into slices. Heat oil in a pan and saute the mushrooms with the other ingredients until cooked through.

To prepare the spinach
You will need
10 leaves of spinach
1/4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. scallion greens, chopped
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and black pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a pan. Blanch the spinach for a minute. Drain the water from the spinach. Squeeze the water out of the spinach using a paper towel. Season with the rest of the ingredients.

Baked Soybean Kofta in Spic Tomato Gravy

The is the 17th week of the 52 Week Challenge and the theme this week is Soy. I made these soybean kofta in spicy tomato gravy for the challenge.

This recipe requires you to soak the soybean overnight. Pressure cook the beans so they are tender when mashed to pulp. Addition of just two or three raw unsalted cashews to the gravy makes it creamy.

You will need
For the kofta
1 cup dry soybean
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
1 tbsp. paprika (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp. cumin coriander powder (you could use garam masala or your favorite spice mix)
1 tbsp. agave syrup or sugar (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lime
handful cilantro, diced
salt to taste
1/4 cup semolina (could use cornmeal)

For the gravy
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2-3 raw unsalted cashews

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste (or fresh ginger and garlic minced)

2 tbsp. olive oil (can substitute oil of your choice)

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tbsp cumin coriander powder (or garam masala)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. cumin seeds

salt to taste

cilantro to garnish

To make the kofta

Wash and soak the soybean in water overnight. Pressure cook until tender. Drain the water and mash the beans in a bowl. Combine all the other ingredients except semolina with the mashed beans. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Divide the mashed mixture into small balls.  Roll the balls in semoline and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 

Bake for 18-22 minutes until they are no longer mushy, hold their shape well and are slightly brown.

Meanwhile, heat a pan and add the chopped onion and tomatoes to it. Let them cook on medium high heat until the juice from the tomatoes is flowing. Switch off heat and cool the mixture.

Transfer to a blender. Add the cashew nuts and blend until smooth and keep aside. 

Heat olive oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When heated through add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for under a minute and . Pour the gravy back into the pan. Add cumin coriander powder, salt, paprika and bay leaf. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. 

When the kofta are cooked transfer them to a oven safe deep dish. Pour half of the gravy over the top. Put the dish in the oven for 5 minutes. Pour the remaining gravy over the top.

Serve hot.

Baked Cabbage Rolls

This is the second recipe from the Daring Cook's archives that I had tried. It looked easy enough to make but took a long time to prep. There are a lot of steps though each one of them is fairly simple. I had made a timeline for myself so I would have lunch on the table on time. One by one I saw my timed deadlines slipping away. Finally at noon I sent my husband and daughter to practice her parallel parking skills. She will need it if she is going to get her license next month. And I figured I would get everything done faster if I did not have them watching me and the time.

I bought the ingredients for this recipe about 4 days back. Every day after that we seemed to go out in the morning. Since this recipe requires a lot of prep time I had to make something else for lunch instead. Today when I woke up I decided I would make the cabbage rolls.

I had never used parsnips in my cooking before. I am not very fond of its taste. But this recipe called for it so I decided to use it. I made variations to suit my family's taste. I replaced rice with cracked wheat as my husband is trying to avoid rice.

You will need
1 large cabbage
1/2 cup cracked wheat, soaked for an hour
1 cup black lentils
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, grated
1 parsnip, grated
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
a bunch cilantro, chopped
1 serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
6 tomatoes, Roma, pureed
2 tomato, diced
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp. coriander-cumin powder
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. siracha hot sauce
olive oil

Drain the cracked wheat and transfer to a pan with 2 cups water. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the wheat is soft but not fully cooked. Take it off the heat, drain and keep aside. In a pan heat 3 cups of water. Wash, clean the black lentils and add them to the heated water. Boil on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Take it off the heat, drain and keep aside.

Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to a pan and cook the onions and carrots for about 5 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and in the same pan heat another tbsp. of olive oil. Add the bell peppers and parsnip. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Turn off the heat and transfer to the same large bowl. Add the partially cooked cracked wheat and black lentils to the bowl along with the chopped coriander, serrano pepper and salt to taste.

Mix well. This is the filling. Keep aside until needed.

To a large deep pan add enough to soak the large cabbage. Bring the water to a boil and lower the heat. Immerse the cabbage whole into the water and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The cabbage will float in the water stalk side up. Using a sharp knife cut all around the stalk to release the leaves. Using a fork loosen up the leaves on the outer layers and carefully peel them off. Stack the leaves on a dry plate. Keep working your way to the center of the cabbage. When all the leaves are taken off turn off the heat.

Chop the Roma tomatoes into rough big pieces and puree in a blender. Dice the other tomatoes. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a pan and add the ginger-garlic paste. Season with salt, agave nectar and hot sauce. Let it cook for a minute and then add all the tomatoes. Let it heat through then add a cup of water. Let it come to a boil and cook until the tomatoes are cooked through. turn off heat.

Preheat oven to 375F. On a flat working surface place a leaf of cabbage. Trim any tough stalk. Depending upon the size of the leaf, add one or more heaped tbsp. of filling near the stalk. Fold the sides over and roll from stalk side to the other end to form a roll. Place it in a casserole dish. Work your way through all the cabbage leaves.

Pour the tomato sauce over the prepared cabbage rolls and cook in a 375F oven for 1.5 hours covered with foil. After about an hour the kitchen should smell wonderful.

After 1.5 hours, remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit on the countertop for about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

  

 Enjoy!